The NEW Pentax Film Camera
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- Опубліковано 3 бер 2024
- Pentax Ricoh has released an update on their Film Camera journey and here I am a day late and dollar short to review it. I am genuinely intrigued by the project and really look forward to covering more of it as it develops be sure to check out the video for yourself and subscribe to the channel for more updates!
Pentax is going for the biggest audience possible at this point in the world.. young newbies addicted to their phones but interested in following the analog film trends. But I’m good with that, because it should drive their revenue and subsequent attitudes towards their next product (interchangeable lenses on a dependable SLR maybe?). Any move from a major player in the film photography industry “should” cause other players to take note of the very real reasons to keep analog film alive. 🤞 baby steps man.. half frame to start, then tease the quality of bigger negatives .. hopefully.
Possible drive them digging through the used market for full frame goodness stock up on FF bodies now while they are cheap! 😂
@bigshooter461 Absolutely this. Though, save for the X100 series, at least people's attention span has been short on what gets featured on social media.
They have already said that the first camera will be a camera for the masses, the second camera will be similar to the first camera but with a bit more manual control orientated and fullframe and the third camera will be a full frame full manual SLR. There aren't many decent half frame cameras left. So it's great that they are supporting that too.
They are making three cameras for everyone. And I love that.
I hope that the project works out to the point where they want to dive back into 6x7 (or any other medium format) too.
I'm getting flashbacks of the vinyl resurgence from a few years ago. Cheap crosley record players started popping up first before other companies started to manufacture more high end turntables.
Those h35 cameras are the crosleys of the analog photography comeback story imo. Pentax will feel out the market with this and also use it as R&D to move in to more high end things.
I feel the same!
Of course everybody wants a compat film camera like a Contax from the 90s. I just hope they really do good on the lenses and the technology. Half Frame with really good lens i.e. bringing good pictures even in half the frame would be a godsend. Thats what those plastic Half Frames from Kodak or Agfa lack today.
I have been using an old Nikon FM going on 15 years. I bought one of these Kodak H35N half frames a few days ago. Hasn't arrived yet but I think it will be fun to mess around with. I enjoy the lo-fi aesthetic every now and again. The reason I found this video is because it came up "recommended" after I had watched a video with Mark Hamill from 1975 - a commercial for the Kodak Tele-Instamatic 608 110 film camera. The commercial said it cost "under $36.00". Adjusted for inflation this little plastic POS cost the equivalent of $200 back then. That makes $50 for a half frame 35mm seem like a really good deal in comparison.
The way they are working on this project makes me trust them a lot. All its going to take is support for them to get a Spotmatic type camera rolling, if they haven't already. I do also kinda wish it was a full frame camera though, but for the market they're trying to target with the more affordability it makes sense. They're dipping their toe in the water to test how cold it is lol
What was I expecting? Basically this, but full frame. Zone focus, some control over auto exposure modes, lever wind, slightly wide angle lens. Kind of a decent upgrade over a Lomo LC-A+. Something manual enough to feel hands on, but the camera does enough to be pretty light and easy and no-stress. I would have preferred full, but I think half frame will be fine.
But also, like… this was the only reasonable expectation from anyone who paid attention at all to what Pentax was saying. When they said their initial roadmap of compact > premium compact > electronic SLR > mechanical SLR, there wasn’t a huge range of options. I feel like they’re getting the first step right. It’ll be nice to see if they keep going.
As someone who still yearns for the (almost) bygone days of 24 exposure rolls of film, I can’t imagine trying to burn through 72 shots on a roll of 36,
I like old film cameras because I like taking them apart and fixing them. I appreciate them as an engineer, not a photographer. Maybe that's why I really like my Olympus Pen EE. It's just enjoyable to shoot. The only drawback is by the time I finish 72 shots and then get around to developing the film, I've completely forgotten taking the pictures. But you have to give it to Olympus for making a camera that is mechanically automatic, requires no batteries, and still works and takes good pictures 50 years later.
What i dont really understand is (other than not watching their previous Pentax story vids) why people think it was going to be anything like an SLR from the get-go. They've had multiple videos since December of 2022 saying their first foray will be a simpler, less expensive, accessible, fixed-lens, compact camera. While still retaining the manual-advance wind. No we are not getting a new LX or Spotmatic. Plus no one was buying the Nikon F6 when it was still being sold in 2020 for US$2500 anyway, and a new film SLR of Spotmatic quality or style would probably cost just as much. Although i do somewhat blame poor marketing on Nikon's part for not catching the wave as analog was growing around that time.
I will say the one surprise is the fact that its going to be half-frame. And honestly i had a negative reaction to it at first. But then i realized, who cares? Like is that what people should be focusing on when they shoot? I can take a Superia 400 shot and slice it in half and blow it up to screen size and itll still look perfectly fine. Is the grain going to be more noticeable? Sure. Does it matter? I personally dont think so, or think that it should.
My prediction will be that it will be not too dissimilar to an Olympus XA2 but with modern plastic and 70's SLR style silvery exterior. Basically battery operated, mostly automatic with a few manual controls, vertical half-frame version of it but instead of the windy-wheel of an disposable/XA style, itll be lever-winding (maybe an in-between like a Minox 35GT). Plus having the 3 or 4 distance selections shown in the viewfinder. And i think they mentioned built-in flash? They gotta keep it like US$250 or so or they won't sell that well to their intended audience.
I had zero expectations but was very excited with announcements as they trickled out. I think it’s important to remember that we as photographers can be a bit niche so they need to hit a wider audience than us, the photographers. So regardless I’ll pick it up just to support; the same way I bought Harman’s Phoenix regardless of the colors.
I am a Pentaxian until the end. Love the fact that it is them making it. I was disappointed that the first camera was half frame. They do intend to create a series of film cameras.
They will not bother if everyone just goes meh.... After a company dips their toes back into producing film technology.
So let's get behind this. I don't mind backing it based purely on keeping it alive in hopes I see a new full-frame K mount??
The biggest problem with cheap plastic film cameras like the Holga or H35 are only one shutter speed and two aperture settings. Zone focusing is a non-issue, plenty of quality film camera had zone focus. But Pentax needs to offer a full range of aperture and shutter speeds, otherwise this’ll just be another Holga-esque failure.
I must say, I appreciate your positive approach. I’ve seen other videos basically poopooing Pentax for their first offering. Personally, I’m glad they’re starting relatively small, testing the waters, before pressing forward. I myself am looking forward to seeing it.
I’m just happy there’s a new film camera. Options are good.
I guess think about this: When Cosina introduced the Bessaflex, it went almost entirely unnoticed. So if you're working at Ricoh/Pentax, and thinking about making a new Spotmatic, you don't have to think too far back, remember the Bessaflex (which was a genuinely good SLR!) and how nobody bought it. Making a new film SLR probably seems like a great way to just totally obliterate any chance of developing more film cameras in the future. Yeah, that was a few years ago when you could find basically new old stock 35mm SLRs all day long for 30 or 40 bucks, but the situation today really isn't that much different.
Do wonder why they didn't just make a new film Ricoh GR, given the crazy prices the old ones go for these days.
As I've said other places what I'd love is a Spotmatic style, modern reliable light meter, with K-mount SLR film camera. Fully manual would be great, or an automatic option for beginners. I guess the challenge there is how to leverage new lenses, make new manual K mount? or heck go full on Film version of the K3/K1 with full computer controlled autofocus and just a manual advanced method.
That said I was skeptical about the Half-frame but I'm also now kind of intrigued.
My thinking is that Pentax are taking baby steps and testing the market viability of a film camera by taking their current route. At the same time, it has been so long since they have made film cameras that they have to re-learn how to make them. Most, if not all of the engineers who designed and developed film cameras in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s are either retired or dead and gone, but they knew how to design and develop them like it was second nature. The younger engineers who are working for Pentax don't have access to that corporate memory and aren't fully conversant with film technology because they've lived in a digital era and don't really know anything else.
Personally, I think half-frame is going to be a tough sell. Half-frame cameras were never very popular in the 1950s or 1960s when they were most commonly available, and it seems to me manufacturers sort of gave up on the idea in the 1970s after Kodak brought out their 110 cartridge technology, which was fairly cheap, dirt-simple to use, and afforded adequate, if not spectacular results. In the late 1970s, Pentax even brought out a 110-format SLR, which was tiny, maybe about two and a half times the size of a standard roll of 35mm film.
Pentax might be better off going with a full-frame camera and then partnering with a film manufacturing company that can produce decent film stocks more cheaply to supply the film.
I shoot with digital now, but what I would like to see is a 6 x 12 film camera for panoramic photography. Something with a reasonably priced body and one or two lenses that are suitable for landscape photography. But this would be a niche market, and no camera maker would be likely to make such a thing anytime soon. Oh well, a man can dream, can't he?
I started with my Pentax K-1000 55 years ago. Got a digital Canon AE1 49 years later. Still like the Pentax best.
I'm quite excited for this camera. It seems very well thought-out and considerate. Ricoh/Pentax has been doing well to listen to their users lately, and this is a great step towards a new K-mount film SLR.
I think TKO mentioning diptych/triptych/polyptych photos was a relevant point. Historically, this has been a popular use of half frame cameras.
i like half frame cameras, with the price of film I would be very tempted to buy the camera and then splash out on the very best film. i just hope it sparks desire in the hearts of photographers.
My current favorite film camera is a Pentax slr and I’m really excited about this. Will probably buy it if the price point is right (
This is a positive development for the most part, but this initial product is lackluster by itself. A lot of talk here about what the market wants, but does it really want another basic half-frame camera aimed at ameteurs? There's a ton of those already, not to mention there's still a good quantity of quality vintage half-frames out there on the used market.
The target market they are marketing this camera to also has them competing with Instax and other instant film cameras, which are even more wildly successful than the half-frame market. I think this camera is facing considerable odds to be the exact success they are hoping for to "fund" the rest of these film cameras they are supposedly making.
What the market is actually screaming for is a quality new 35mm point-and-shoot camera. As a conglomerate with a shared history of making quality 35mm P&S cameras and still does make quality digital P&Ss, the obvious choice was going the route of making a new 35mm GR1 or Espio P&S. Very bizarre choice not to just lean into that. Here's to hoping that they are going to do that and more as well.
Composing diptychs in camera and scanning them is definitely more fun/satisfying than pairing them in post IMO
It’s nice to see Pentax will make a new slr after the half film camera, the next question for Pentax is to sell lens as well
Thank you for your thoughts on this new effort -- yeah, I was hoping for a new Spotmatic with K-mount and a fantastic meter. Well, maybe in 2 years! Yeah -- the new info doesn't really meet my expectations, but I'm not 99.99% of the new film camera market! Hopefully it's the initial model of a number of Pentax, and maybe some other company, models covering different needs/expectations....
I was hoping for at least a Ricoh Gr1 successor with a solid 2.8/35mm lens, knowing, that a SLR including a whole lens environment will be probably too complex and too expensive for their first launch. What do I think about the camera that was announced? Taking under consideration all the teasers which have been presented by Pentax over the last years I’m pretty much disappointed.
pentax is being incredibly smart about this and i think they are just trying to feel out the market and build an audience. Honda sells the CBR1000, but they also sell the CB500 and numerous smaller bikes.... you buy one of those small bikes to learn how to ride and then you move on to the bigger and nicer bike. I think thats what pentax is doing here. They are getting people hooked and then (hopefully) giving them something more advanced to move up to when they are ready.
I really admire Pentax. They still stick with DSLRs with a huge legacy of lenses. They opt to release a monochrome only camera. And now the film project. I'd rather have them in the market doing what they're doing. They're doing a lot of interesting things. Ricoh probably has money to burn due to its success with the GRIII, so they'll have money to invest in these projects and I hope they see a good return from them.
I am stoked that Pentax is doing this. Not at all disappointed they will start with a simple compact. I learned to take pictures using old box cameras and later on Kodak Brownies. I graduated to an Olympus zone focus Trip 35, and only then to a Pentax Spotmatic (borrowed). Pentax seems to be following a similar path here with the new camera playing the role of the Trip 35 - a nearly fool proof film camera with a fixed lens and a super quick learning curve (it did not even need batteries - the light meter was powered by light). But the Trip 35 was affordable and ubiquitous and glorious. The zone focus was needed for anything closer than 6 feet. But if you set it to infinity it produced sharp film images for anything more than 6 feet away. This new camera targets film neophytes - if it grabs their interest it will lay the groundwork for the SLR style. The Trip 35 sold between 5 and 10 million copies. Many from that legion of users later traded up to SLRs. The Olympus Trip 35 (and similar compacts) were the gateway drugs. That's Pentax's plan now but hook them first with a simple cheap camera (with a warranty).
I think I was expecting this but not half frame. IMO pentax is doing the right thing. It's great to go after the people that film is starting to trend with.
The most important aspect of this half-frame camera will be the lens quality. I am hoping Pentax will use an excellent lens in this camera, which will vastly improve the quality of the half-frame images compared to the Kodak plastic Ektar H35. This will make the Pentax camera a success in my opinion. Let’s see what happens!
Any film news that is not yet another stock discontinued is good news I think. I see this move more about bringing film to the younger audience as opposed to trying to bring said audience to film, if that makes any sense. Sure there are compromises, but I think it's a smart move. You're not ungluing kids from their phones and social media anyway, so metaphorically sliding a print photo between their eyes and their screen is the best way to gain traction and funding/profit. The implications of a whole new generation, even if just a fraction of it, being interested in film, means more sales of so many products that in turn could mean more R&D and eventually a healthier/bigger ecosystem. I have all my fingers crossed for this to be a huge success.
Fits roadmap they released earlier... beginners point & shoot, next one should be advanced p&s - I hope it will be new GR.
I never used half-frame, but I don't see why I shouldn't, considering that I love film grain.
Am i going to buy it? I will if they don't go crazy with the price...
Hey RB. I haven't seen what Pentax is releasing, but I am a big fan of the ME Supers. That was my camera in high school circa 1985. My daughter got excited about film photography and wanted an Olympus point and shoot camera. I told her point and shoot cameras mostly suck because you need a better lens (my experience... apologies). I got her what she wanted for Christmas and she shot a roll and was dismayed. Now, she is on a "pause" in her film journey. I hope the camera from Pentax that is coming out is easy to use, but also has a good and forgiving lens, with at least an 2.8 aperture.
I am really good with the half frame and for me this will be a fun camera to carry.
Film is the key ingredient. Will film makers see enough resurgence to get serious about lowering the cost of film and processing? New and exciting films? I hope so!
Its gonna be interesting if they get to their goal of 4 cameras where an analog SLR stands at the end. But I think their approach is really healthy: Looking how each camera does in the market. If one flops, they can kill of the following model easily. Of course in their books must be a compact film camera that really, really shows us what could've been if development hadn't stopped 25 years ago. A lot of technology must be cheaper and smaller today, focussing, metering...
It makes sense seeing that film has almost doubled in price, then half frame has double the exposures. Hopefully they don't triple the price of film.
Speaking as someone completely gettign back to just wanting to do something camerawise that felt ‘real’ and tangible and had an element of surprise and waiting like it did when I was a kid, I really am excited about the H35n. But after a while with that (which has AS MANY features s I require for my initial purposes) I would more than wlcome new film camera options that allowed me to broden my skill level. I DO think I would like to get a full frame camera (OR FINALLY see if my Dads k1000 that I ysed for that one college film class still exists in the attic somewhere!) but I think for someone like me, who is a good combination of nostalgic and poor, and grew up with one of those rectangular 110 cameras, the half frame format really is compelling. I did here you mention here or in the last video about committing to 76 frames and I get that too though, because it makes me think I may want to buy TWO h35s or point and clicks if I want to be able to use two film stocks (for day and night for example) within a reasonably short ammount of time. Justmy two cents but I think theres a good market for the cheap, sortof lesser options. That said, I held off on the original h35 becaue at the very least I wanted a glass lens for it to feel like a “real” camera, so a really nice, metal and glass half frame with a little bit of exposure control would be VERY welcome.
I have 5 Pentax cameras 2 film a Honeywell and a Asahi also 2 tiny Q7 digitals that are so fun and will blow your mind with the pictures those little cameras produce. Also a Ricoh waterproof and a couple of their 20 megapixel DSLRs . Why they're the only company that uses pentaprisms and they actually invented that technology. Funny but I've never owned there GR series cameras. I hope they make it big with the new innovative film camera.
I had hoped for a ME/MX type of camera and the half frame type was nothing that I had in mind. I have a hard time seeing myself buying and using a half frame 🙁
Exactly! Like an ME/MX size with copal shutter instead of the cloth and if some electronics, just an LED light meter indicator. That's all. More metal. More click clack. Big clear viewfinder...
I have a Ricoh half frame camera as depicted. I bought it about 25 years ago. It is a quirky camera and has a clockwork auto wind. I still haven't completed the first film I put in it.I better complete the film and do a review.We thought film was dead about 20 years ago and then a revival but now I think it;s a case of "too late she cried". I have cherished pentax film cameras for years but recently gave away my best model.
It's not for me. But that's okay. If it generates buzz around Pentax, gets some mindshare, gets some sales and people looking at the K1 or K3, that's good.
I'm not expecting them to spin up a production line to bring back the K1000, but it would be nice to see something like a P3. Cheap, plastic, but K-Mount. Do a plastic series of old primes, make a stepping stone to Pentax's modern offerings, Bob's your uncle. There has to be some off-the-shelf 35mm SLR mechanical suite that can be slapped into an injection-molded plastic shell somewhere.
The idea was always to release a budget friendly camera, then a premium compact, and then an SLR. That was always the plan from the get-go.
Like so many others it kind of sounds like you've just been reading headlines until this particular announcement.
If you don't know their logic, understandably people get disappointed. Although, I think from a marketing standpoint it's a clever move. It allows for wider adaptation of the medium, auto settings(so you don't get the rubbish results from Kodak H35) and hopefully it builds hype for the film medium along the younger generations that are getting curious about film.
Re: zone focusing; I imagine autofocus is pretty expensive and Zone Focusing on a half frame lens at F3,5(which will probably be stopped down half the time) is going to be a breeze anyway.
👍, Midle ground could be the rollei35af
Also I think gr iii people wich ricoh has an history on it is the kind of new people they going for
I saw someone saying them going with a point & shoot was due to there being that 2nd hand market for SLRs, repairable SLRs, while old P&S cameras don't typically lend themselves to repair
That's an interesting point I hadn't thought of.
Everyone who was hoping for a $500 new Spotmatic will be disappointed of course. But with almost noone who has the production know-how available it's big step. So I think it will be a fine thing. Half frame appeals to me as a format but not for saving money, to fill 24 frames is already much for me, so I find half frame intersting composition wise. Anyway, let's wait for it!
❤ PENTAX
It's not what we wanted ... this first offering is for a new generation but has potential development for more film cameras. Its been funny looking at the reception from old gear heads who cant see past their blinkered thinking. How they market this will decide reach. Needing pentax supporters and importers go into the rabbit holes of analogue social media to get the message out there
I wanted a 35MM SLR. I'd like the ability to change to full frame, like the old Konica Auto-Reflex. This camera will be fun, and I'm going to buy one just to support Pentax, A new 645 film camera I suppose would be awesome, but it would have been insanely expensive, and not cool enough for hipsters.
Pentax, probably the bravest camera manufacturer in the world.
Without a doubt they are
They should just reissue the Me Super for a reasonable price, that'd be great!
I'm also a bit miffed, but ultimately it's not made for us who have no problem with buying used or figuring out if a camera is working properly, considering how many good and cheap half frame cameras are around. I'm crossing my fingers for Pentax and steps 3 and 4 of their plan though, a new mechanical SLR would be lovely.
But come on, a triplet lens? We already have a lens type with a very good balance between cost of manufacture and image quality, it's called the Tessar and has been around for many decades. People rave about how "super sharp" the Tessar on the Yashica T series is (compared to other P&S cameras with triplets I assume).
Maybe Pentax could've gotten a piece of that pie by adding that one lens element more and advertising a lens "as good as the venerated Carl Zeiss T* Tessar" or something.
Mixed feelings. In my ideal world I wanted an SLR :P medium format is a pipedream lol. Realistically I expected a fixed lens full frame maybe 45mm f1.9 etc point and shoot. So I guess I'm disappointed. But I'm still excited for the film project and I'll buy at least 1 of them to support and maybe I'l like half frame lol. I hope it comes out and they move onto full frame Camera's. I do really like that they said you will be able to confirm focus with the viewfinder, if not it would have been a very hard sell.
a contax G2 succesor would be a wet dream but i would've settled with a contax T3 or Nikon 35Ti but pentax continue to disapoint for me. i just hate the idea of half frame. it's a grainsoup
I was hoping for a 35mm mirrorless film camera.
Those half frame negatives will definitely cost more when getting scanned. There is more cost then just x2 the frames.
I was hoping for a 35mm SLR with a nice build like a 1970’s SLR with an aluminum body. It doesn’t have to have a titanium body, just a nice metal construction. With the price of used 1970’s and 1980’s camera’s costing 200-300.00 each, it would be nice to own a brand new 35mm SLR even if the body costs 500.00, that would be less than the cost of a used camera with a CLA.
I was hoping for Ricoh GR. A point and shoot that is slightly higher end but average joe could use.
Sod the Spotmatic, how about a new MX?
Whoever wants a pro compact film camera should invest in Pentax first camera anyways (and gift it to family). Everything depens on its success.
i wish Olympus would make the Olympus Trip AF70
Just make a MX-E, nikon FM3a style and make it affordable (don't know if this would be possible) My thoughts are there is a reason why people are paying 1000€ + for a second hand FM3a. I would be interested in a camera that has aperture priority (for relax shooting) and would in manual mode offer ALL shutterspeeds mechanical in case of battery or electronics failure. The pentax LX comes close but being 40years old it does have its reliability issues. The nikon F3 is very reliable but the only one 1/90thsec mechanical speed really isn't enough (for me). Please stay away from half frame i'm old enough to know it didn't work back then and i'm sure it will not work now (bold claim, i know😏)
I decided not to wait and got a mint Pentax PC35AF…which does everything I need.
ME Super or even just the ME or MV-1... or MX, LX, K1000, KM, Spotmatic... like so many beautiful cameras that they could of brought back...
I'm I gonna buy the new half frame one!?... don't know.
If is like 50 bucks sure... $500!? - hell no...
you got that right!
a leica IIIf with the opening back of a Zorki 4 and the shutter and metering options of the olympus OM40 would have been a better starting point, what they propose is a half frame clone of the cheap nasty 80's compacts. Something solid in leica screw with a decent set of shutter options rangefinder
That would be fun, but I wonder how much of a market there is for that when a Zorki 4 or even a Leica IIIf isn't all that expensive. Though I would like to see Voigtlander bring back their rangefinder film cameras.
Wouldn't it be amazing if they'd actually finish this half frame, then a mid tier and also a medium format and actually have parts and support like leica.
Vertical huh? I wonder if there is a way to rotate it so that you can get landscape? I hope so. The technology for rotating must be there. It's 2024 after all!
I was thinking of something like the MX3/5 or at least something with a k mount but to be honest, I'm no longer interested in film, I was never a fan of 35mm, I used a Mamiya RB67 for most of my work and only kept 35mm as a back up but if I wanted to shoot 35mm, I'd use my old MZ5n or MZS, or even get my LX cleaned and calibrated.
i honestly think half frame sucks, but I would buy this one?
Why..? Because I've never properly tried half frame. Then how do i know it sucks..? If there is any excuse to give it a shot this is it.
I really hope they do make it a pretty camera :) and ill throw some Washi F in it and make some "artistic" ;) work
Been following this for ages but they lost me when they announced it shoots portrait and not landscape... Suppose that's the half frame thing..
Waiting on the rollei 35af now if it's not silly priced. All else fails i will keep shooting film with the trip 35.
noticed you didnt say a name. checked the press release and pentax didnt either lmao this is the announcement of an announcement basically
It needs more... something different than Kodak. They could have made a coupled rangefinder. And/or they could have made it full frame capable, add a mask, or remove it, for either half or full frame. I don't know, SOMETHING different and new. Same for the later more professional ones they hopefully get to, not just another spotmatic, but something weird and new and different that I don't already own. Like... EVF with focus peaking but still film? Or like... clamp down on the film and move it with gyroscopes for in body film stabilization? Lol something interesting you can't just buy from 1980
pentax is probably just guaging an audience, chances are if this sells well they would be insane not to get in on the market and release more cameras in a film lineup, unfortunately i was hoping for a rangefinder with swappable lenses as those are my personal favourite types of 35mm
Smart move from Pentax. They are making a new film camera that sets it apart from the cameras in the used market. Why would they make a film camera similar to whats already being sold for cheap in the used market?
The bitter gatekeeping I've seen on the internet about this is absolutely insane
Compared to cheap digital storage, film is WAY too expensive. I love shooting with manual lenses, but letting the camera figure out the shutter speed. I think most beginner photographers could handle this with minimal instruction with a modern mirror-less camera. My advice to anybody on a budget, look at the used full frame mirror-less market, Pair it with a very affordable yet high quality Manual lens from China. If the price seems expensive, do the math on the price of film and development, and see just how few pictures you would be able to take on film for the same price.
I'm a hypocrite! I, also, don't like 1/2 frame film cameras, but my main digital camera is a micro4/3 Panasonic Lumix camera, a 1/2 frame digital camera. Our phones have time sensors as well... Oh well, we like what we like!
The Market isn't middle aged white guys but young Asians, walk the streets of KL, Jakarta, Hanoi, Bangkok, Seoul and Tokyo and it's not f3 that people are lugging uts Olympus Trip or Canon QL or Pens. Half frame gives influencer appeal. And if Pentax have gone back to their roots - not SLR - But rather products the market wants and is ready for - spotmatic was a market ing dream to an extent the K mounts as well - Pentax used to be kings of the market. So hopefully they have done their homework and the fact it isn't aimed at middle aged white guys already in film like me suggests they have.
People forget that Instax is Fuji's best selling camera line that funds everything else. Theres alot of demand for point and shoot film cameras from younger people who do photography casually and want a more retro look. And the main complaint with full frame point and shoots as well as Instax is price per picture. It seems like the only thing that might hold this back is the brand name itself, but given the popularity of the k1000 on tiktok and Instagram it's probably not that big of an issue
@@elk3407 But living in Asia gives you a different view - Pentax is not seen by young Asians as the also-ran, they actually don't care - because like you said they often know someone with a K1000. In Jakarta right now K1000s are about 150USD, but so to is an Olympus Trip. When I lived in Hanoi - preCovid, I would see a lot of young local with the Ricoh 500 or even Mamiya M, so the draw back for Pentax is they don't have a compact RF name.
Reel tape audio to Vinyl to CD to DVD to Blu-ray to Wma to reel to Vinyl.
Less sharp weird bokah lens to sharp smooth bokah to less sharp weird bokah lens.
All the beautiful old lenses are in good demand nowadays.
But here, people don't smell them or lick them. People enjoy the photographs.
Whether it's JP Or TBmE they sometimes are misleading . Or confused.
Decades ago I worked with film and spent endless hours in the darkroom. Since the advent of digital I never looked back. To go back to film today is a total affectation, and makes zero rational sense.
Doomed to failure on multiple reasons
Such as... ?
@mgscheue I hope it succeeds if the camera makes it to market. I'll definitely buy one. However, I'm not convinced. The price of films has rocked along with processing and scanning. I understand the camera is targeted mainly at film newbies, so all this has to be taken into consideration. I'm a major film fan, but I feel it is now a specialised area. In a world of instant everything, it could be a flash in the pan seeing buyers revert back to shooting on iPhone rather than waiting to shoot seventy frames before posting to social media. My main concern is the high film cost and relative low demand, as well as whether sales could be sustained for Pentax to make it an investment back.There's no doubt Pentax makes excellent equipment. I'd like to see a 35mm all manual camera from Pentax. I love shooting film, so I hope it continues for a long time into the future.
@@cameracameras Interedting points, for sure. I agree there probably isn’t a huge market for this, but there does seem to be an increased interest in film photography.
I don't think the leadership are photographers. That's all it amounts to, imo.
This is what I suspect...This camaera is a repackaged kodak ektar h35. I bet you the same factory in CHINA. Anything over 100 for this is a rip off! If they use a glass lenes it would surprise me.
I wont be buying one. My choice would have been a proper camera. A spotmatic with a decent meter and just new.
Pentax is not interested in promoting film. They are only interested in making a quick buck on the current interest. Rather sad that they disrespect film and what is required to appreciate using film. This piece of platic does nothing to promote film. No thought required. Cell orientation preferred! Terrible!
Pentax's old film cameras and lenses were some of the best ever made. why not just refurbish them and keep shooting? also, i hope that Pentax will finally come out with a K-1 mark 3. what is taking so long?